LETTERS: Declare unemployment a national disaster

Most Kenyans would agree that unemployment is at an all-time high, but few have a clear idea of just how bad things are.

A recent research collaboration between Trends and Insights Africa (TIFA) and job listing site Brighter Monday painted a very dire picture of the Kenyan employment landscape and the discovery was nothing short of a national disaster that would keep the policy makers scratching their collective heads.

According to the research which had a sample size of 1,078 persons, 56 per cent of those polled were jobless with 73 per cent of those employed actively seeking another job opportunity. 41 per cent of those polled were employed while a mere six per cent were self-employed.

These numbers are worrying given that the 56 per cent could translate to about 13 million of the 25 million working age Kenyans, of which 86 per cent of the unemployed comprises of the youths between 18-34 years. Technically this means that one in every two Kenyans above the minimum working age of 18 years is jobless.

So far, government agencies have shown little political goodwill towards tackling this scourge that’s dented many dreams and gutted the hopes of millions.

This issue doesn’t just affect employees and the jobless, even employers are reeling from the effect given that on average a single job posting attracts between 140 and 320 CVs.

Some employers have officially scrapped the concept of advertising job offers, preferring rather to work through referrals as a means of avoiding to sort through the overwhelming tonnes of resumes.

While some experts call for the jobless to venture into entrepreneurship, that notion is mistaken given that entrepreneurship requires functioning social services, good infrastructure and access to cheap capital all of which are nearly non-existent in Kenya.

The only option that can deliver long-term remedy to the persistent problem of youth unemployment is by declaring it a national disaster.

All emergency and major disaster declarations are made solely at the discretion of the president. There are six critical and necessary processes that will inevitably arise if he declares unemployment a national disaster.

First it will channel the needed attention and focus to the issue, which will in turn necessitate allocation of resources by key players and stakeholders to the issue of unemployment.

In line with that, the president will have to commission the most comprehensive unemployment research in the country broken down by age, gender, education level, and county. He should also form a multi-agency steering committee involving parastatals, private sector, NGOs, higher education, and the creation of county-based public forums to deliberate on the issue of unemployment.

READ: World Bank links poor education to Kenya's high unemployment

Thirdly, the respective government agencies should review and sensitize the masses on labour laws, labour market dynamics, employee rights, training and contracts.

Also the government agencies ought to call for recalibration of pay and stature of both managerial and technical roles, and a review of their efficacy in the light of societal (not just) market needs.

Lastly, the president would have to petition the courts against the high cost of clearances from the Higher Education Loans Board, Kenya Revenue Authority, credit reference bureaus, and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations.

In a country with a high rate of unemployment like ours, such clearances needed at the point of job and tender application exacerbate the unemployment problem.

The existence of a large, skilled, frustrated, smart yet resentful lot of youthful graduates is not just a policy failure, it’s a security threat and generational stain whose impact will last for more than 50 years if not tackled on time.

In light of the recent economic turbulence, unemployment should be declared a national disaster.

Darius Okolla, Nairobi